Sherdog’s Top 10: Flashes in the Pan

Top 10

The backlash surrounding the rapid rise of Conor
McGregor serves as an excellent reminder that MMA fans have a
distinct sensitivity to hype. Promoters have spent so much time
selling fighters as the next big thing, the real deal and the
future of the sport that enthusiasts have understandably developed
a thick skin and a sense of jaded pessimism when confronted with
the prospect of even the most promising and seemingly flawless
newcomers.

The 10 fighters on whom this list focuses -- “Flashes in the Pan”
-- are part of the reason for that reluctance to be swayed by the
excesses of promotion. The Sherdog.com staff assembled a long list
of potential entrants, and perhaps unsurprisingly, the ensuing
discussion led to fundamental differences of opinion about what
precisely constituted a “flash in the pan” and who should be
eligible, not to mention the final shape of the list itself. The
voters presented wildly disparate rankings; consensus was hard to
come by, and the decision was made to exclude any entrant who did
not appear on multiple lists in order to focus on the 10 fighters
who best represented the overall views of the panel.